Striker's absence looks set to continue for some time.Newcastle United forward Andy Carroll will fly to Scandanavia later this week to see a specialist in the hope of repairing an ongoing thigh problem that has seen him miss all his team's action so far this year.

His manager, Alan Pardew, had hoped that Carroll would be fit within two weeks, but that seems unlikely seeing as his striker has had to resort to drastic measures with the club currently spending time in Portugal during a fixture lull.

“We brought him out here to start running, and the disappointing news is that he hasn't,” said Pardew, according to The Northern Echo.“His injury is in the muscle, just above the tendon where it joins the knee, so it's not an area that gets great circulation and therefore it doesn't heal quickly.

“We have had a consultation this week about sending him to someone who is the world's best tendon repair expert – there are experts in different fields – and this guy is at the Arctic end of Sweden.

“He's flying out there on Friday and we're hoping that we can turn him around quickly. But now I have to say that Fulham is definitely out and possibly even Arsenal. We can't rush him back.”

The news will come as a bitter blow to Newcastle fans as Carroll has impressed hugely so far this season, contributing 11 goals in the Premier League.

Summer signing Dan Gosling also remains on the sidelines with a knee injury and is unlikely to make his debut for the Magpies for another month.